FIFA World Cup Winners List and History: These Two Continents Have Dominated Tournament : Sports : Latin Post Share This Tweet This Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and one of the oldest. Played in nearly every country on Earth, soccer is easily the most played athletic event globally. But with popularity and skill comes competition. Similar to the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup is held once every four years. This year's FIFA World Cup will be played in Brazil. Historically, Brazil has been the best soccer country in the world with five FIFA titles. When we look at past winners it reveals an alarming geographical trend, only two continents have won the FIFA World Cup. As a matter of fact, only two continents have even made it to the finals every year. Those continents are South America and Europe. Advertisement In Africa and Asia, soccer is the most popular sport. With not a single African or Asian country even making a FIFA World Cup final in the 80 year tournament history, this is unbelievable fact. In past decades, many riots have taken place in Africa after disappointing losses to South American countries. As far as North America, that is no surprise.

American football, baseball and basketball are the most popular sports, and Mexico is by far the best North American soccer country. In 1986, Mexico was the host country for the FIFA World Cup but was unable to qualify for the finals after losing to West Germany. Eight different nations have won the 19 FIFA World Cup Finals: Brazil- 5 England- 1 Spain- 1 Not a lot of disparity and balance when it comes to soccer and success. European and South American countries absolutely dominate the world on the soccer field as you can see above. It's amazing that, with over 200 countries in the world, just eight have won the most popular tournament in the world. South America and Europe have had their clashes and rivalries on the field in the past. Advertisement Currently as a whole, Europe has the edge 10-9 in FIFA World Cup titles. Europe's most successful country is Italy with four championships. South America holds the bragging rights to the single best soccer nation, Brazil. Brazil has not only won five World Cups, but they have are 2-0 against Italy in the finals. Coincidentally, all five of Brazil's championships have come against European countries.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup promises to be an all-time great one with history on the line. Record World Cup numbers game for FIFA, Brazil FacebookEmail Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest Record World Cup numbers game for FIFA, Brazil GENEVA (AP) — The 2014 World Cup is the most valuable, lucrative and expensive in FIFA history. Record numbers include a $35 million prize to the winning team's federation, $4 billion commercial revenue for Post to Facebook Record World Cup numbers game for FIFA, Brazil GENEVA (AP) — The 2014 World Cup is the most valuable, lucrative and expensive in FIFA history. Record numbers include a $35 million prize to the winning team's federation, $4 billion commercial revenue for Check out this story on USATODAY.com: CancelSend A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 2 To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Record World Cup numbers game for FIFA, Brazil Graham Dunbar, AP Business Writer 6:19 p.m.

ET May 22, 2014 A Brazilian soccer fan is seen during a press conference of the Brazilian national soccer team in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian national soccer team head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari announced the Brazilian squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil. (Photo: Marcelo Sayao, epa) GENEVA (AP) — The 2014 World Cup is the most valuable, lucrative and expensive in FIFA history. Record numbers include a $35 million prize to the winning team's federation, $4 billion commercial revenue for FIFA and a $14 billion bill for Brazil. With 3 million tickets available to buy, the 64-match tournament is almost sold out. "The financial success — we have it, it is done," FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has said. "The ticket sales success is there, we have never sold so many tickets." FIFA's satisfaction is not shared across Brazil. Taxpayers are picking up the biggest bill, with the country of 200 million people running up costs several times more than FIFA to stage the world's most-watched sports event.

The $14 billion total is the predicted spending on building and renovating 12 stadiums, upgrading federal, state and city infrastructure, plus security plans to welcome the 32 teams and around 600,000 expected visitors. The spending fueled unrest in Brazil, especially during the Confederations Cup last June, among those wanting better schools, hospitals and less government corruption. "When Brazil bid for the World Cup they had the budget to do so," Valcke said. FIFA forecasts it will spend $2 billion on the 2014 tournament, including the local organizing committee costs. Still, much of that bypasses Brazil. Even if the host nation does earn the winner's check on July 13, the remaining $323 million in FIFA's prize fund goes to the other 31 nations. The federations also share $48 million from FIFA to prepare for the tournament, and $70 million goes to (mostly European) clubs whose players are selected. The $35 million first prize is less than 1% of the governing body's revenue banked directly from its marquee event over a four-year commercial cycle. Broadcasters and sponsors pay most of FIFA's $4 billion income.

European television networks have paid the majority of the nearly $1.7 billion, so far, in rights fees to FIFA, according to the past three years of financial reports. Six top-tier partners — Adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates, Hyundai, Sony, Visa — pay a combined $177.125 million annually. That totals $708.5 million over four years. Eight second-tier sponsors — Budweiser, Castrol, Continental, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald's, Moy Park, Oi, Yingli — collectively pay $524 million. About $120 million has been earned from Brazilian 'national sponsors,' according to the 2011-13 financial reports. FIFA also gets hundreds of millions from fans buying match tickets, plus agencies securing the rights to sell corporate hospitality seats, and licensed merchandise. As street protesters in Brazil know, FIFA's revenue is untaxed there. World Cup sponsors and media also receive exemptions for their operations as a condition of Brazil's hosting bid in 2007. FIFA, however, has spent significantly in Brazil.

FIFA already gave $221.6 million to the embattled organizing committee, and more should follow in last-minute wrangling over paying for essential services. In February, FIFA settled a nearly $20 million bill for power generators needed for broadcast operations. "We stepped in because it's not a question just of money," Valcke said then. "We were afraid that we would not be on time to deliver this energy. And without it, we cannot broadcast the World Cup." FIFA's investments include tens of millions for TV production to deliver the biggest ratings this year. In 2010, the Spain-Netherlands final was watched by 530.9 million people according to the reliable "average global in-home audience" measure. More than 900 million people watched at least one minute of the match at home, and the overall total likely topped 1 billion when public viewing places are added. Spending by FIFA on ticketing, accommodation and IT services has also helped Brazil's economy. Draw ceremonies for the qualifying groups in Rio de Janeiro in July 2011 and the finals tournament in Costa do Sauipe last December added several millions more.

The full World Cup financial picture will be clear only next March, when FIFA publishes its 2014 accounts. Typically, its numbers peak in a World Cup year. Its reserves are $1.4 billion, which are intended to keep the Zurich-based body operating and organizing its other tournaments — including the Women's World Cup, under-17 and under-20 events, Summer Olympics, Club World Cup — if its main attraction is canceled. FIFA reinvests about 75% of its income in soccer, including $250,000 annual grants to each of the 209 member federations. The six continental bodies get $2.5 million each, and $27 million was spent in 2013 on development projects, such as pitches and training centers. That $27 million was exceeded by paying $36.3 million in executive bonuses, and the total personnel bill was $102 million for about 450 staff members. FIFA can certainly afford the current and future expenses.

Booming sales for the next two World Cups to broadcasters Fox and Al-Jazeera, among others, and renewed deals with long-term commercial partners Adidas and Coca-Cola should ensure that $5 billion flows into FIFA for the 2018 tournament in Russia. 130 CONNECT TWEET 10 LINKEDIN 2 COMMENTEMAILMORE Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read or Share this story: NEVER MISS OUT Managing Your Money Master your money with the latest business and investment news, articles and tips from financial experts each Friday. FIFA World Cup Winners - List of Football World Cup Winners, Winners of Soccer World Cup Tournament FIFA World Cup Winners Football » FIFA World Cup » FIFA World Cup Winners FIFA World Cup Winners Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), football’s global governing body founded the FIFA World Cup in 1930. It is an international association football competition that is held every four years. It was not held in 1942 and 1946, because of World War II. The current tournament involves 32 teams at various venues in a host nation decided by FIFA.

During the preceding three years FIFA holds a qualification phase to determine which teams qualify for the World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup has been held 18 times and only 7 nations have won this prestigious tournament. Brazil is the only country to have played in all the tournaments to date and to have won a total of five FIFA World Cups. Current title holders Italy are close behind with four titles, Germany with three, Argentina and Uruguay with two each and England and France with one title each. The tournament did not always feature 32 teams in the run for the trophy. It was first expanded to 24 teams in 1982 and later to 32 in 1998 to enable more teams from Africa, Asia, and North America to participate. Nevertheless the tournament has always been dominated by the South American and European countries that have been playing in the World Cup since 1930. The FIFA World Cup is the most widely-viewed single sport event in the world with the final match of the 2006 World Cup being viewed by over 715 million people all over the world.

The trophy awarded from 1930 to 1946 was originally called the World Cup or Coup du Monde, it was renamed the Jules Rimet trophy in 1946. In 1970 Brazil was allowed to keep the trophy permanently after winning the World Cup thrice. The currently used trophy, the FIFA World Cup was designed by Italian designer Silvio Gazzinga and is made of solid gold and the base made of semi-precious malachite and the trophy bears the engraved year and name of every World Cup winner since 1974. A comprehensive list of winners of the FIFA World Cup since its introduction in 1930 is given below. Football World Cup Winners 2018 Russia World Cup | WorldCup.com.au | World Cup Greatest Players at the Soccer World Cup The Soccer World Cup, officially known as the FIFA World Cup, is held every four years and pits the finest soccer players of each nation against each other in a global competition. National Teams from over 209 “nations” around the world compete in qualification tournaments over three years, with only 32 teams allowed to progress through to compete in the Soccer World Cup finals.

FIFA has more members than the UN, as it recognises 23 non-sovereign entities as nations, including places such as Palestine and Scotland. FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the international governing body of the Soccer World Cup, was founded in 1904. Initial attempts to organise international matches outside of the Olympics were dismal until 2009 when Sir Thomas Lipton (founder of the Lipton tea brand) organised the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy soccer tournament in Turin, Italy. Sometimes described as the first Soccer World Cup, the competition featured professional teams (but not national sides) from Italy, Germany and Switzerland. The English Football Association chose not to participate, so Sir Thomas Lipton invited an amateur side from England, West Auckland. West Auckland went on to win the competition, and did the same again in 1911. The World Cup Trophy. Image: Meed. In 1914, FIFA became the body responsible for managing soccer competitions at the Olympics, where soccer had become an official sport in 1908.

At the 1920 Olympics, the first genuine intercontinental football competition occurred, with Egypt competing alongside thirteen European teams. Belgium won that year, with Uruguay taking out the next two (1924 and 1928). On the 28th of May, 1928, FIFA made the decision to host their own Soccer World Cup independently of the Olympics. As Uruguay were reigning Olympic champions, and 1930 represented their centenary of independence, they were named host country for the first Soccer World Cup in 1930. Thirteen nations took part in the initial Soccer World Cup; 7 from South America, 2 from North America and 4 from Europe: Argentina Romania Yugoslavia The first goal in Soccer World Cup history was scored by Lucien Laurent of France against Mexico, who they defeated 4-1. Host Uruguay was the first nation to win the Soccer World Cup, defeating Argentina 4-2 in front of a crowd 93,000 strong. Soccer was dropped from the 1932 Olympic Games (held in Los Angeles) due to the relatively low popularity of the sport in the host nation.

It returned in the 1936 Olympics at Berlin, but by this point the Soccer World Cup organised by FIFA was the leading international competition. The Soccer World Cup has been held every four years since it began in 1930, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 as a result of World War II. The current Soccer World Cup champions are Spain, who won the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. The 1934 and 1938 Soccer World Cup tournaments were held in Italy and France respectively. Brazil was the only South American country to compete at both, seizing third place overall in 1938. The Soccer World Cup is one of the world’s most popular sporting events, with over 700 million people tuning in for the final. FIFA estimated in 2007 that there are over 265 million people who play soccer worldwide.

Soccer World Cup Qualification There are six FIFA Confederations: AFC – Asian Football Confederation (of which Australia has been a member since 2006) CAF – Confederation of African Football CONCACAF – Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football CONMEBOL – Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (South American Football Confederation) OFC – Oceania Football Confederation UEFA – Union of European Football Associations FIFA Confederations. Image: FIFA Each Confederation administers soccer in its own region. A prerequisite to joining FIFA is membership of one of the six Confederations. The Confederations are responsible for organising matches which enable nations to qualify for the Soccer World Cup. The host nation automatically qualifies. Overall, 820 Soccer World Cup qualification matches took place prior to the 2014 Soccer World Cup. The Soccer World Cup qualification process differs between different Confederations. Most employ a knockout stage followed by a group system. Winners of certain groups are allowed to progress. There is some interplay between confederations.

For example: for the 2014 Soccer World Cup, in the AFC, the two third placed teams out of the two final groups (from an initial group stage of 5 groups of 4 teams) played off against the fifth team from the CONMEBOL for a qualifying position. Some Confederations use existing international competitions to determine qualifying teams. For example, the 2012 OFC Nations Cup was also a qualifying round for the OFC Confederation. Soccer World Cup Finals The Soccer World Cup Finals are what most people refer to as the World Cup. Between 1934 and 1978, 16 teams competed in the Soccer World Cup Finals (with the exception of 1938, when Austria’s annexation by Germany occurred after qualification rounds, and 1950, when India, Scotland and Turkey withdrew). In 1982, the finals were expanded to include 24 teams. In 1998, the Soccer World Cup Finals allowed 32 teams to play in the finals, and it has remained at that number since.

Soccer World Cup Winners The defending champions in the 2014 World Cup are Spain, who defeated the Netherlands 1-0 with an incredible goal from Andres Iniesta towards the end of extra time. Only eight different countries have won the 19 Soccer World Cup tournaments. These are: Nation Spain 2010 Brazil, the most successful team, is the only nation to have played in every World Cup Finals tournament. Australia in the Soccer World Cup The Socceroos in West Germany in 1974. Source: News Ltd Australia has participated in the Soccer World Cup three times, and is due to participate in the 2014 Soccer World Cup. Australia’s performance on the world stage has been commendable, especially as they have regularly lined up against international soccer powerhouses such as Germany, Brazil and Spain. In recent years, the reputation of Australian soccer has exploded, with multiple players joining squads in national competitions such as the EPL and Major League Soccer. Participating in the finals at three consecutive World Cups will only serve to bolster this growing prestige.

Australia – 1974 Soccer World Cup Australia’s first appearance in the Soccer World Cup was in 1974, when it was hosted by West Germany. Australia was placed in Group 1, alongside West Germany, East Germany and Chile. Date 0 – 0 Chile Australia was eliminated from the 1974 Soccer World Cup after the first round, partly because a majority of the team were amateur players. Following the 1974 Soccer World Cup, Australia did not qualify for over thirty years. During this period, Australia developed a reputation for near-misses in qualifying rounds, losing playoffs in 1986 (to Scotland), 1994 (to Argentina), 1998 (to Iran) and 2002 (to Uruguay). During this period, however, the Australian national side (dubbed the “Socceroos”) were able to defeat Argentina 4-1, defeat Uruguay 1-0 and draw with Brazil 0-0. Australia – 2006 Soccer World Cup In 2005, Australia left the OFC and joined the AFC. However, they were still required to compete for Soccer World Cup qualification through the OFC.

After winning the OFC Nations Cup, Australia was required to play Uruguay. After losing the first match at Uruguay 1-0, Australia hosted the second match. At 90 minutes, Australia was up 1-0, which meant the aggregate score across both games was tied. Still deadlocked after two periods of extra time, the game proceeded to a penalty shootout. Australia won the shoot out 4-2 and subsequently became the first team to ever qualify for the Soccer World Cup via a penalty shootout. Australia triumphed over Japan, lost to Brazil and drew with Croatia in the Group stages of the 2006 Soccer World Cup. Unfortunately, after progressing to the Round of 16, Australia went down 1-0 to Italy following a highly controversial penalty kick, converted by Italy’s Francesco Totti in the final seconds of injury time. Australia’s game against Croatia is significant in that referee Graham Poll awarded three yellow cards to Croatian player Josip Simunic, when he should have received a red card after his second yellow card. Date Australia Australia – 2010 Soccer World Cup Australia played a significant role in their Group (D) in the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Ghana, Serbia and Germany all lost one game and won another against each other, with all scores being 1-0. As such, the results of those three teams against Australia essentially decided the competition. Germany beat Australia with a resounding 4-0 victory, and won overall. Ghana drew with Australia 1-1, finishing second overall. Serbia’s 2-1 loss to Australia left them in fourth place. Tim Cahill’s handball in the box during the final minutes of the game against Serbia would have given them a chance to equalise, however the referees did not see the incident and no penalty kick was awarded. Tim Cahill went on to receive the award for Man of the Match. Date World Cup Football Firsts 1966 England The FIRST time drug testing was introduced was in World Cup finals in 1966. Players banned after failing in drug testing include Haiti's Ernest Jean-Joseph (1974), Scotland's Willie Johnston (1978) and Argentina's Diego Maradona (1994). The FIRST World Cup mascot was a lion-like boy called Willie used for the England 1966 World Cup.

The FIRST player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final was Geoff Hurst of England in 1966, with a goal in each of the first-half, second-half and extra-time.. The FIRST first team to score two own goals in the one tournament was Bulgaria. They did so in favour of Portugal and Hungary, losing both matches. The FIRST Asian team to progress beyond the first round of the World Cup finals was North Korea in 1966. 1970 Mexico The FIRST substitution of a goalkeeper was Romania's Necula Raducanu who replaced Steve Adamache in a match against Brazil on 10 June 1970. The FIRST player to receive a yellow card was Lovchev of the USSR in the 1970 opening match against Mexico on 31 May 1970. The FIRST substitute to score a goal was Mexico's Juan Basaguren in the match against El Salvador on 7 June 1970. The FIRST time substitutes were used in World Cup finals matches was 1970. Before 1970, only injured players were allowed to be replaced.

The FIRST substitute in World Cup finals was Soviet player Anatoly Puzach who replaced Serebrannikov in the 1970 opening match against Mexico on 31 May 1970. 1974 Germany The FIRST red-carded player was Chile's Carlos Caszely in a match against West Germany on 14 June 1974. The FIRST time that the newly designed FIFA World Cup Trophy was awarded was in 1974, replacing the Jules Rimet Trophy. The FIRST black African nation to play in a World Cup finals was Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1974. The FIRST Oceanian nation to qualify the World Cup was Australia in 1974 1978 Argentina The FIRST qualifying match played on artificial turf was between Canada and USA on 24 Sept 1976 in Vancouver, Canada. The FIRST qualifying match played indoor was between USA and Canada on 20 Oct 1976 in Seattle, USA.

The FIRST team to win a qualifying match on penalty shootout was Tunisia, which won 4:2 on penalties over Morocco after a 1:1 tie at home on 9 Jan 1977. The FIRST country to withdraw from the World Cup due to the inability to pay the entrance fee was Sri Lanka which withdrew from the 1978 World Cup. The FIRST time penalty shootouts for tied games were introduced to the World Cup was in 1978 (though the first to occur was in 1982) The FIRST player to score for both teams in a match was Ernie Brandts of the Netherlands. In a game in 1978, he first scored an own goal Italy, and then the equaliser for his own team. 1982 Spain The FIRST match decided with a penalty shoot-out was the semi-final between West Germany and France on 8 July, 1982, in which the Germans won the shootout 5:4. The FIRST player to take penalty in a shootout in World Cup finals was Alain Giresse of France, who scored the FIRST ever penalty in a shootout where France lost 4:5 to West Germany.

The FIRST substitute to score a hat-trick was Laszlo Kiss of Hungary in a match against El Salvador on 15 June 1982. 1994 Usa The FIRST Final decided on penalty shoot-out was the 1994 Final in which Brazil beat Italy 3:2 on penalty shoot-out after the match finished in a 0:0 tie. The FIRST player to take a penalty shootout in a final was Franco Baresi of Italy, taking the shootout in the 1994 final but blasted it over the bar. The FIRST match played indoors was at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, USA on 18 June 1994, in a match between USA and Switzerland. The FIRST goalkeeper to be sent-off was Gianluca Pagliuca of Italy in a match against Norway on 23 June 1994. The FIRST player to have scored five goals in a single match was Oleg Salenko during the 1994 FIFA World Cup match between Russia and Cameroon.

1998 France The FIRST player to score a golden goal was France's Laurent Blanc in the 113th minute in the Second Round match against Paraquay on 28 June 1998. The FIRST player to have scored for 2 different teams in World Cup finals was Robert Prosinecki, having scored for Yugoslavia in 1990 and for Croatia in 1998. The FIRST French player to be sent off in World Cup finals was Zindine Zidane , in the first Round match against Saudi Arabia on 18 June 1998. France had kept a clean sheet for 68 years until France 98! World Champions: USA Wins 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup - U.S. Soccer U.S.

Soccer WNT Jan 14 2017 World Champions: USA Wins 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup USA Becomes First Country to Win Three FIFA Women’s World Cup Titles; Carli Lloyd Scores First Hat Trick in WWC Final History; Lauren Holiday and Tobin Heath Add Goals, Their First of Tournament WNT Jul 5, 2015 VANCOUVER, Canada (July 5, 2015) – The U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Japan 5-2 at BC Place on Sunday night to become the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion and the first three-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner. In the first 16 minutes of play the USA took a 4-0 lead over Japan after Carli Lloyd netted the fastest hat trick in Women’s World Cup history and Lauren Holiday added a goal to put the USA up by a wide margin. Japan ended the USA’s record-tying shutout streak at 540 minutes by scoring in the 28th minute. The Asian nation built a bit of momentum early in the second half as Julie Johnston’s defensive clearance instead sent the ball into the USA’s net.

However, Tobin Heath responded two minutes later to make it 5-2 and complete the highest scoring Final (seven goals) in FIFA Women’s World Cup history. Loyd and goalkeeper Hope Solo were awarded the Golden Ball and Golden Glove, as the best player and the best goalkeeper at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, respectively. It was the second straight Golden Glove award for Solo (she also won it in 2011) and the first for Lloyd. Lloyd became the second American to win the award, joining Carin Jennings, who won it in 1991. The USA is now the only country to win three Women’s World Cup and the country to score the most goals (five) in a WWC Final – no other team has scored more than two. The WNT will return to the USA for a pair of friendly matches against Costa Rica on Aug. 16 and Aug. 19 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, respectively, before embarking on their nationwide celebration tour (details to be announced).

Goal Scoring Rundown: USA – Carli Lloyd (Megan Rapinoe), 3rd minute: Playing a short corner kick on the ground, Megan Rapinoe sent a ball straight through several Japanese defenders to the middle of the six yard box. Carli Lloyd stormed from the back of the box to time her arrival with the ball perfectly and finished with a left-footed strike to score the fastest goal in FIFA Women’s World Cup Final history. USA 1, JPN 0 USA – Carli Lloyd, 5th minute: Two minutes later, another set piece play led to a U.S. goal. Lauren Holiday stepped up to take the free kick from the right side of the box and sent a shot to the middle of the box that was flicked on by Julie Johnston through a forest of players before Carli Lloyd found it right in front of the net and tapped it in with the inside of her right foot for the second goal of the game and he fifth of the tournament.

USA 2, JPN 0 USA – Lauren Holiday, 14th minute: The sequence began with Tobin Heath, who sent a pass from the midfield intended for Alex Morgan but had the ball intercepted by Japanese defender Azusa Iwashimizu. Iwashimizu tried to head it out of danger but instead directed the ball up in the air. It came down right in front of Lauren Holiday, who volleyed it in stride with her right foot to net her first goal of the tournament. USA 3, JPN 0 USA – Carli Lloyd, 16th minute: Carli Lloyd intercepted the ball in midfield and touched it past a Japan player. Crossing the midfield line, she launched a shot that caught Japan goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori out of her net. While Kaihori got a hand to the ball, she could not keep it from bouncing off the post and into the back of the net, thus completing the fastest hat trick in Women’s World Cup history.

USA 4, JPN 0 JPN – Yuki Ogimi (Nahomi Kawasumi), 28th minute: Nahomi Kawasumi played a great ball from the right channel, spotting teammate Yuki Ogimi inside the box. Ogimi evaded a challenge from Julie Johnston, swiveled around and sent a curling shot beyond the reach of Hope Solo for the Japan’s first goal of the match that ended the USA’s record-tying shutout streak. USA 4, JPN 1 JPN – Julie Johnston (own goal), 52nd: Julie Johnston tried to clear a free kick attempt with a header that bounced across the face of goal and nestled inside the far post of Hope Solo’s net for Japan’s second score of the game. USA 4, JPN 2 USA – Tobin Heath (Morgan Brian), 54th: Japan’s goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori punched a Lauren Holiday corner kick clear to the right side. Kaihori’s punch wasn’t strong enough and the ball landed at Morgan Brian’s feet.

Brian cut the ball back into the middle where Tobin Heath used the inside of her foot to one-time Brian’s perfect ball into the back of the net for the final score line. USA 5, JPN 2 (FINAL) Next on the Schedule: The WNT return to the USA for a pair of friendly matches against Costa Rica on Aug. 16 and Aug. 19 in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Chattanooga, Tenn., respectively. Broadcast information: FOX Sports 1 (Aug. 16), ESPN2 (Aug. 19) Milestone Watch: The USA becomes the first country to win three FIFA Women’s World Cup titles. Carli Lloyd is the first U.S. WNT player to score in four straight games in a World Cup. She netted a goal against China, Colombia and Germany and three against Japan. Lloyd also became the first woman in a FIFA WWC to score a hat trick in a Final match and scored the fastest hat trick in Women’s World Cup history. Lloyd also became the third U.S. Woman to score a hat trick in WWC play: Carin Jennings Gabarra netted three goals against Germany in 1991 and Akers scored five against Chinese Taipei that same year.

Lloyd’s goal in the third minute was the fastest goal scored in a WWC Final game. Lloyd scored both U.S. goals in the 2012 Olympic gold medal game (a 2-1 win over Japan), and the sole goal in the 2008 gold-medal game (1-0 over Brazil). With her three goals against Japan tonight, she became the first American to score in three major-tournament finals. Midfielders Lauren Holiday and Tobin Heath each score their first goals of the tournament. It was Heath’s first goal in a Women’s World Cup. The U.S. WNT finished this year’s tournament with a 34-4-5 all-time in Women’s World Cup play, outscoring its opponents 112-35 in 43 games. The 34 wins, 112 goals scored and the 43 games played are FIFA Women’s World Cup records. With its five goals against Japan, the USA now holds the record for most goals scored in WWC play with 112 – the team scored 14 throughout the tournament. Germany scored 20 in Canada to finish in second with 111.

The USA’s five goals were the most any team has scored in a WWC Final. No other team has scored more than two. The USA’s two goals in the first five minutes of the match against Japan was the first time any team scored twice in that span in a WWC game. Additional Notes: The game was the third meeting between the USA and Japan in a major tournament Final. The USA now has a 2-0-1 record in those meetings: Wins in 2015 WWC and 2012 Olympics. Tie in 2011 WWC (1-3 PKs). Lloyd leads the U.S. with eight goals in 2015. While Wambach is the USA’s top scorer on the roster with 183 goals, Lloyd is next with 69 career international goals and Morgan has 52. Heather O’Reilly has scored 41. Defender Becky Sauerbrunn is the only player on the roster to start and play every game for the USA in 2015. She has played the most minutes (1,509) of anyone on the team. Five U.S.

players played all 630 minutes of the tournament: defenders Julie Johnston, Meghan Klingenberg, Sauerbrunn, midfielder Carli Lloyd, and goalkeeper Hope Solo. In its last 17 games, the U.S. has surrendered just five goals and has scored 34. Nineteen of the 20 field players on the World Cup roster saw action in the tournament. Coming on as a sub in the second half, Wambach played in her 25th career WWC game, tied for second most all-time with Julie Foudy, Brigit Prinz and Formiga. Only Kristine Lilly has more (30). Lloyd has sole possession of seventh place on the U.S. WNT’s all-time goal scoring list, passing Shannon MacMillan who scored 60 goals in her career. Lloyd, now with 69 goals, is the highest-scoring player in U.S. history who has played exclusively as a midfielder. Hope Solo finished with 10 clean sheets in Women’s World Cup play, tying the record for most by a U.S. goalkeeper and most in World Cup play with Brianna Scurry.

Solo now has 136 goalkeeper wins and is the all-time leader in wins for a goalkeeper in U.S. history. Brian Scurry had 133 during her career (1994-2008). Eleven players on the current USA roster have scored in a Women’s World Cup tournament: Tobin Heath, Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Lauren Holiday, Heather O’Reilly, Lori Chalupny, Shannon Boxx, Christen Press and Kelley O’Hara. For the first time in FIFA WWC history, 24 nations participated at this year’s event, up from 16 that participated in the previous four editions. The 1991 and 1995 Women’s World Cups featured 12 teams. Fourteen different players have scored for the USA in 2015: Tobin Heath, Lauren Holiday, Kelley O’Hara, Morgan, Wambach, Rodriguez, Press, Johnston, Klingenberg, Megan Rapinoe, Brian, Chalupny, Leroux and Lloyd. - U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report - Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs.

Japan Date: July 5, 2015 Competition: 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup – Final Venue: BC Place; Vancouver, Canada Kickoff: 4 p.m. PT FIFA.com - FIFA World Cup™ FIFA World Cup™ You're logging in with Facebook You're logging in with Twitter You're logging in with Google+ Connect Login Error The email address/password you submitted is wrong or could not be found. Please try again. If you are not a member of the FIFA.com Club, please register first. The email address/password you submitted is wrong or could not be found. Please try again. If you are not a member of the FIFA.com Club, please register first. This Facebook account is already present Your Club account has been locked due to a breach of our Terms of Service. Please set up a new account in line with the Club rules. Review the Club Rules . Alternatively, you can email us by completing our contact form . Please enter a valid email address The email address/password you submitted is wrong or could not be found. Please try again. If you are not a member of the FIFA.com Club, please register first.

Log-in unsuccessful FIFA World Cup™ © Foto-net The FIFA World Cup™ is the biggest single-event sporting competition in the world and is contested by the senior men's national teams from the 208 Member Associations of FIFA. The competition has been played every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. It fulfils FIFA’s objectives to touch the world, develop the game, and build a better future through a variety of ways. Tournament format The current format of the tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of one month – this phase is often called the Final Competition. A qualification phase, the Preliminary Competition which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s). The preliminary competition for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ sees a total of 204 entries across six continents competing for 31 available spots.

For the last FIFA World Cup, 200 teams played a total of 853 matches as 31 teams qualified for South Africa. Both the preliminary and final competitions act as a massive promotion for the game of football and for the host nation(s) and are therefore wonderful opportunities to help promote values of respect, fair play and discipline to the watching world. Understandably, the organisation of such an event is a huge task for FIFA and the Local Organising Committee and is therefore one of the main activities of FIFA over a four-year period. Facts and figures The 19 FIFA World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different national teams. Brazil have won five times, and they are the only team to have played in every tournament. The other winners are Italy, with four titles; Germany, with three wins; Argentina and inaugural winners Uruguay, with two; and England, France, and Spain, with one title each.

The FIFA World Cup is the world's most widely viewed sporting event; an estimated 715.1 million people watched the final match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup held in Germany and the 2010 event in South Africa was broadcast to 204 countries on 245 different channels. Inside the stadiums, a total of 3,170,856 spectators attended the 64 matches an average of 49,670 per match and the third highest aggregate attendance behind USA 1994 and Germany 2006. There were also over six million people who attended public viewing events in 16 sites across the world: ten within South Africa and a further six across the globe in Rome, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro. A total of 350,000 fans attended the International FIFA Fan Fest in Berlin for the semi-final match between Germany and Spain. 177,853 accreditations for the last FIFA World Cup were printed, while the hospitality programme attracted almost a quarter of a million guests.

Over three quarters of a million litres of beer were sold in the stadiums and 390,600 hot dogs were sold in the public catering concessions; many to the half a million international visitors who descended on South Africa. The FIFA World Cup brings in much needed resources from partners and the TV rights which allows FIFA to invest in social activities related to the tournament. For South Africa 2010, the 20 Centres for 2010 campaign was launched, aiming promote public health, education and football in disadvantaged communities across Africa. A FIFA World Cup also creates resources for many extra development programmes which proved to be beneficial for member associations of FIFA throughout the course of the four-year cycle. The next three World Cups will be hosted by Brazil in 2014, Russia in 2018, and Qatar in 2022. Football World Cup winners list | FIFA soccer WC champion teams, history Football World Cup winners list Published on Jun 20, 2014 Take a close look at the greatest football teams on earth: the FIFA World Cup champions.

The World Cup, also known as the Mundial or Copa do Mundo, has been held 19 times since it inaugural tournament in 1930. It has been won by eight different teams, with Brazil having the most World Cup titles with five, followed by Italy with four, and West Germany with three. Argentina and Uruguay have two titles each while England, France, and Spain have one title. Below is a year-by-year account of all the World Cup champion teams. 1930 FIFA World Cup Final score: Uruguay 4-2 Argentina Host country: Uruguay The 1930 World Cup was staged in Uruguay and it was the host country that won the championship. In the final match, the Uruguayans saw themselves trailing behind Argentina by 2-1 but managed to turn things around in the second half by scoring three goals. Uruguay became the first World Cup winner with a 4-2 score. 1934 FIFA World Cup Final score: Italy 2-1 Czechoslovakia (Extra time) Host country: Italy The 1934 World Cup was once again won by the host country and this time it was Italy that took the trophy.

Playing against Czechoslovakia, Italy imposed a very tough defense but the visiting team breached the Italian line in the 70th to lead 1-0. Italy retaliated to make the game 1-1 before the end of regulation and bagged the win in overtime by a 2-1 tally. 1938 FIFA World Cup Final score: Italy 4-2 Hungary Host country: France Italy retained its crown in the 1938 World Cup in France. In the final match against Hungary, the Italians broke clear with a 3-1 score at halftime and finished the game 4-2. 1950 FIFA World Cup Final score: Uruguay 2-1 Brazil Host country: Brazil The World Cup was not staged again until 1950 because of the Second World War. Played in Brazil, this edition of the Mundial saw one of the biggest upsets in football history when the host country lost to the Uruguay football team. Brazil was highly favored to win in the final match with Uruguay, which was lowly rated after not qualifying in the two previous World Cups. The Brazilians scored two minutes into the second half and everything seemed to be going well for them.

However, Uruguay tied on the 66th minute mark and scored anew on the 79th to steal the 1950 World Cup trophy. 1954 FIFA World Cup Final score: West Germany 3-2 Hungary Host country: Switzerland The 1954 World Cup saw another major upset: In the group stage, the Hungarians trashed West Germany 8-3 and was highly favored to win when the two teams met again in the final. Scoring two goals after only eight minutes, the Hungarian football team looked like they were on a smooth way to the Mundial trophy. However, West Germany equalized within the first half and, just five minutes before the end of regulation, broke away with another goal to win 3-2. 1958 FIFA World Cup Final score: Brazil 5-2 Sweden Host country: Sweden Host Sweden matched up against Brazil in the final of the 1958 World Cup. The Swedish football team opened the scoring but found themselves trailing by 2-1 at the end of the first half. Brazil played top-class football for the rest of the second half and finished the game 5-2.

Brazil’s successful campaign was spurred by one of the greatest footballers in history , Pele, who played his first Mundial in this year. 1962 FIFA World Cup Final score: Brazil 3-1 Czechoslovakia Host country: Chile In the 1962 World Cup, Brazil faced Czechoslovakia in the final match without its goal-scoring genius, Pele, as he was injured in the first round. The Czechoslovakians struck the first goal but the Brazilians showed their offensive flare to emerge as victors with a 3-1 score. This was the second of five World Cup trophies in the Brazilian football team’s history. 1966 FIFA World Cup Final score: England 4-2 West Germany (Extra time) Host country: England England faced West Germany at the final of the 1966 World Cup. The Germans found the back of the net first but the English equalized by halftime, 1-1. In the second half, the English pulled away with a goal’s lead but West Germany scored before the end of regulation to take the game into overtime with a 2-2 score.

Englishman Geoff Hurst, who had one goal in regulation, scored twice in overtime to make England World Cup winners and to become the only player ever to score a hat trick in a Mundial final. The 1966 victory is the only World Cup trophy in the English football team’s history as of present. 1970 FIFA World Cup Final score: Italy 3-1 West Germany Host country: Spain The 1982 World Cup title is the third of Italy. It was not an easy one, as the Italians barely survived elimination in the first round. The first half of the final game did not prove to be inspiring either, as Italy missed a penalty that would have opened the scoring. However, Italy managed to squeeze a goal on the 56th minute and followed it up with two more goals to lead 3-0. West Germany scored a goal in the 82nd minute to finish the game honorably, 3-1. 1986 FIFA World Cup Final score: Brazil 0-0 Italy (3-2 pen) Host country: United States The 1994 World Cup, held in the United States, is the fourth occasion that Brazil would rip the highest honor in football.

In the final match, neither Brazil nor its opponent, Italy, scored in the regulation and extra periods so the game was forced into a penalty shootout. Both sides missed on their first attempt but Brazil converted its following shots while Italy suffered two more misses to lose 3-2 in the shootout. The biggest disappointment came to Italian football hero Roberto Baggio, who led his team throughout the tournament only to miss his chance from the penalty spot in the final game. 1998 FIFA World Cup Final score: France 3-0 Brazil Host country: France The 1998 World Cup trophy was competed between 32 teams and it was France that emerged triumphant. The French survived the quarter finals through a penalty shootout against Italy and defeated Croatia in the semis with a 2-1 score. They went on to the final to square up with Brazil. The final belonged to French football legend Zinedine Zidane who scored two goals in regulation to make victory imminent for the host country. His efforts were complemented by Emmanuel Petit, who added another goal in stoppage period. The match ended 3-0 for the first World Cup title in France’s football squad history.

2002 FIFA World Cup Final score: Brazil 2-0 Germany Host country: South Korea & Japan The 2002 World Cup was the first to be held in Asia and saw Brazil become the winner once again. Ronaldo scored both of Brazil’s goals to surge pass Germany 2-0 in the final match. The brilliant striker finished as 2002 top scorer but it was the football goalkeeping legend Oliver Kahn of Germany who bagged the award for the tournament’s best player, the Golden Ball. (This World Cup, with Korea and Japan as hosts, is the first to be hosted by two nations.) 2006 FIFA World Cup

Question: Winner of 5, what is the only nation who has sent a team to every World Cup?
Answer: Brazil